Employee gets promotion but no extra pay, leaves for competitor and brings 10 coworkers: 'He took half the team with him'

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Feb 10, 2025 8:00 AM EST

Asking employees to do more work for no extra pay is almost always a recipe for disaster.

If employees are expected to uphold their end of the bargain with regard to the contract they signed upon getting hired, then employers should be expected to do the same. This extends particularly to the central job responsibilities outlined in the contract or in agreed-upon documentation at the start of a worker's employment period. If those tasks and responsibilities change in any way—as they are expected to given how businesses are run—employers should not expect blind acceptance of more work at the same salary. Any change in responsibilities warrants a potential reopening of contractual negotiation!

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    Cheezburger Image 10465281792
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    A colleague of mine was "offered" a management role- basically told to take on extra responsibilities for 20 people, but with no extra pay. Boss gave him the usual speech about how it was a "great opportunity" and would "open doors" for him. He
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    took the role anyway, built strong relationships with his team, and after eight months, another company offered him the same management role-with actual compensation.
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    He accepted the offer and, in the process, took about 10 of the people he was managing with him. Just people who trusted him enough to follow him to a better workplace. Ex Boss was shocked and majorly understaffed after that
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    I mean, what is to be expected when you're asked to work extra for free???
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    RESIGNATION
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Redditusero433... • • 13h ago Boss didn't lie. It was a great opportunity and it did open doors.
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    Several members of the online community weighed in with their reactions to the employee's savvy scheming. Here's what they had to say about it all!

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    Toots NYC 12h ago sometimes bosses forget that the whole team is watching how they treat their valued workers.
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    at-the-crook • 12h ago different industries but a similar situation. A sales manager I've known for years brings his 'crew' to every new job. He has had
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    about six different employers in the last 30 years and his long time team sticks with him. I remember seeing him at a new place and I recognized the admin from the previous place. She says, Where Gary goes, I go.
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    I... 12h ago Edited 12h ago . Boss FAFO. Happens all the time. If only bosses would realize that every job is a stepping- stone to a better job, and that the more they screw over the people who work for them, the easier it is for those people to take that first step.
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    CoderJoe1 • 13h ago Boss gambled and lost.
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    BackltUpWithLinks My wife did this. • 11h ago She spent a while building a team with the promise of a promotion and raise. Months into it she knew the raise and promotion were a lie, so she started looking elsewhere while also continuing to build her dream team.
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    She finally found a new job that treated her with respect, and promptly took 8 of the 11 workers with her. Her old boss actually called and asked "how can you go this to me?" She laughed at him.
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    WDM1990 • 12h ago Great example of taking the promotion you're qualified for, even if the compensation is lagging!
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    Then make sure you get paid what you are worth - one way or another. Might (probably will) need to leave that company. Easier to go into a new company after a promotion than to go in and work your way up.
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    Empty Nesting • 12h ago . The boss was right. It did open doors for him.
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    WhatSpoon21 11h ago People just don't want to work for free any more.
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    • Cmdr_Vimes 9h ago This sort of happened with a colleague of mine. The manager left, and colleague was made acting manager for about 3 months while they advertised and hired for the position. Colleague applied for the position but was ultimately rejected. He left and followed the original manager to the new company.
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    I bumped into both of them on the train yesterday and they looked very happy.
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    sillylittlebean • 9h ago This reminded me of when the board Presidents wife didn't like me so he opted to not extend my contract and with the exception of one staff member and two janitors everyone quit.
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  • Here, we have an employee who received a “promotion” without any additional pay. This so-called “opportunity” required him to manage an entire team and to do the work of multiple individuals… in short, it was an entirely different job.

    Thankfully, the employee immediately began planning his exit strategy and used the network benefits of this new position to bring his team with him to their competitor!

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Tags

employee work stories toxic-workplace work coworkers toxic-boss overworked-employees Horrible Bosses funny work stories toxic-work-environment
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